On the structure of an asymmetric carbon membrane with a novolac resin precursor

✍ Scribed by Th. Steriotis; K. Beltsios; A. Ch. Mitropoulos; N. Kanellopoulos; S. Tennison; A. Wiedenman; U. Keiderling

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 574 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19970620)64:12<2323::aid-app8>3.0.co;2-n

✦ Synopsis

An asymmetric tubular carbon membrane, appropriate for gas separation applications, was made through carbonization at 800ЊC of a precursor structure containing two phenol-formaldehyde resins, a partially cured novolac resin in 30-60 mm grains (bulk material), and a resole resin (membrane skin material). A replica of the skin material was deposited separately on a stainless steel substrate. The samples were analyzed by nitrogen adsorption, small-angle neutron scattering, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The basic structural entities of both skin and the bulk part were low-aspect-ratio carbon domains with a characteristic dimension in the 4.0-4.5 nm range. Further, the materials were characterized by microporosity in the 0.30-0.50 range with isotropic pores having a 1.3 nm diameter. The results are discussed with the help of a systematic survey of possible carbon structures with an intermediate level of microporosity.